Last Friday, day after Thanksgiving, I went with a few friends to Washington, DC to see Rob Bell's"The God's Aren't Angry" tour.

Fortunately, it was a safe trip there and back. However, we had a close call. We were traveling in a van and on the way there we had a tire blowout on the Interstate. It was kind of scary because it happened so fast, we were traveling in the center lane and the sound was horrible. When my friend steered the car to the shoulder of the road we got out and looked at the tire. Well, what was left of it. There was literally almost no tire! It was crazy.

So we arrive in DC. Rob Bell's show was held at Lisner Auditorium on the campus of George Washington University.

The auditorium was electric. The only prop on-stage was a huge altar. After missing his lighting cue (which was funny), Rob began his talk. The presentation began with a story about the nature of relating to forces that we assume affect our lives. Over time humanity began to create names for these forces, or gods. The nature of these gods created a real paradox. If our lives depended on the gods for rain then we had better appease them so we can get rain. Rituals were created by people who had supposedly figured out how to appease the gods. The common method was an offering of some sort. Some gods could be appeased by a grain offering. Others needed blood. Other’s needed important male body parts (ouch!). Molech needed children. The problem became that humanity could never really figure out how to appease the gods. If their lives were bountiful then they were offering the right amount. If their life lacked blessing then they must offer more on the altar. Bell did an excellent job and really helped me connect the dots as he rattled off the Mesopotamian and Sumerian gods and explained why cultures seemed to worship them.

From there Rob taught on Abraham and Issac and the reality that Abraham lived in this god culture where sacrifice was expected. So when the one-true God asked him to sacrifice his only son it didn't seem farfetched. I thought this was very insightful.

Bell then began discussing the nature of the sacrificial system as a ritual to appease the conscience of man. God doesn't need our sacrifice. So what was all the sacrifices about? It was about appeasing man's conscience. The ritual was a reminder of our own forgiveness and putting away the shame. Unfortunately the Sadducee’s had created an industry out of the ritual and were distorting its purpose. The offering of Jesus was then a way to reform the old way and do away with sacrifice. He referred to Hebrews Six and talked about the new convenant with Christ. He continued to talk much about how our life is still about appeasing "the gods." Christ’s death was to satisfy God’s anger. The early church kept rituals as a way of reminding themselves of what Jesus did on the cross. They kept one great offering though. That was to “do good.”

In conclusion, Rob offered very personal stories about how we transform the world around us through love. He explained how this was a great offering before the Lord. It felt very much like an ending to a NOOMA video with the music accompanying his message.

All in all, it was a great talk. I felt that his message should be targeted more to a believer than an unbeliever. His message spoke to people who try to appease God with 'works' and 'offerings' rather than understanding that God doesn't need that ... and then bringing it home with showing love to those around us so they can come to know the God we serve.

The reviews on his talk have been very mixed. However, the most heat (I think) comes from critics who seem to expect Bell to preach the gospel and give an invitation.
I read one review posted by a writer who called his review "The Gods Should be Angry" and stated ...

"He walked around an alter for 90 minutes, without talking about the wrath of God against sin being poured out on Christ. He did not say, 'Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.' He did not say, 'It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.' Instead, he said, 'Anytime someone makes you feel guilty about how you are living, that is part of the old system (pre-Christ).'

He did not say he is a universalist. Instead, he just said, 'the only Christian ritual is to help you tap into the peace that God has already made with the world.' He did not tell them 'Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.' Instead he said, 'The gods are not angry anymore.'

And this is the fundamental problem with Bell’s message. The Bible says that the wrath of God is continually being revealed against ungodliness. In other words, God is still angry. And Bell did an enormous disservice because the people did not hear the gospel, and they were not told to flee the wrath to come."

While I will always agree that we need to be VERY clear to communicate man's need for salvation and the provision for it through Christ in every message we speak, I'm not convinced this critic and those likewise are completely fair to Bell. However, we are sadly beginning to see division among Christians today as a result of the Emergent movement and will continue to see it I'm afraid.

Labels: Deep Thoughts, Issues, Videos, Youth Pastors